Adrian who? Jamaal Wilburn is top rusher in East Lake-Tarpon game

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TARPON SPRINGS -- Everyone from Valrico to Odessa knows about Tarpon Springs RB Adrian Golden, but on Thursday night it was East Lake’s Jamaal Wilburn who emerged as the leading rusher in the Eagles’ 13-3 win over the Spongers.

And well, that didn’t surprise Wilburn’s coach.

“He,” Bob Hudson said, “is a heck of a football player.”

Wilburn, a 5-foot-8, 173-pound senior, finished the game with 127 yards and a touchdown on 26 rushes, giving him 303 yards for the season (he has played in only two games).

“He runs extremely hard,” Hudson said. “He never quits on a play.”

Fumbling can sometimes be an issue for Wilburn, but Hudson said that is something the coaching staff expects to correct.

“That happens sometimes when he’s trying to get an extra yard,” Hudson said. “You’ve got to be careful as a coach. You don’t want to take the fight out of him.”

Hudson isn’t sure what level of college Wilburn can compete at, but he is confident his talented back will find a place to play, either at RB or DB, which is where he spent much of the 2008 season.

“There’s a lot of interest,” Hudson said. “People are waiting for his film.”